Comparing the present standoff between the armies of India and China with the events of 1962 that led to an all-out war between the two countries, the state-run Chinese media on Monday said that the Narendra Modi government of today is as “naïve” as the government of Jawaharlal Nehru was in 1962.
Warning India against assuming that China will not risk a war or even 'a small-scale military operation' despite all its belligerent rhetoric with regard to the Dokalam standoff, an editorial in Global Times said that the same mistake was committed by the Indian government in 1962.
“India made constant provocations at the China-India border in 1962. The government of Jawaharlal Nehru at that time firmly believed China would not strike back. China had just undergone domestic turmoil and natural disasters; Beijing and Washington were engaged in hostility and China's relations with the Soviet Union had begun to chill,” the editorial said.
“However, the Nehru government underestimated the determination of the Chinese government to safeguard China's territorial integrity even as the country was mired in both domestic and diplomatic woes,” it added.
The editorial alleged that even after fifty-five years of 1962 war, Indian government is as naive as it ever was.
The article also claimed that "Indians have become clear that Indian troops cannot defeat the Chinese People's Liberation Army".
It also added that India is mistaken if it believes that US will side with it in case of a war with China. The editorial asked india to understand the nature of Sino-Indian rivalry and the meaning of strategic containment.
“Now the Indians place their hopes on China being unwilling to risk a war due to strategic concerns. They believe the US will likely side with India, which will exert huge psychological pressure on China. It seems that New Delhi does not comprehend the nature of the Sino-US rivalry and the meaning of strategic containment,” the editorial said.
The editorial further claimed that Beijing has not resorted to war because it expects New Delhi to make a rational choice instead of daring China to take action.
“If New Delhi really keeps the faith that China will not take military action under any circumstances, then its analysis is not based on the principles of international politics and military science,” it added.
The editorial also warned that if the Modi government allows the situation to slip out of control then action from China will become unavoidable.
“If the Narendra Modi government continues ignoring the warning coming from a situation spiralling out of control, countermeasures from China will be unavoidable,” it added.
Interestingly, the editorial was accompanied by a two-minute video blog by Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Global Times, on Twitter. In the video, Hu Xijin largely repeats the editorial published in Global Times.
“New Delhi isn’t preparing for the worst but rather is teaching Indian citizens to just hope for the best. Is the Indian government like a church leading its citizens in prayer?” he asked in the video.
“If India keeps ignoring China’s warnings, war is inevitable,” he added.
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